Go with the flow…..

Working in IT can be stressful. Many technologists go unappreciated and are only noticed when something is not to the user’s liking. This creates a feeling of being undervalued. What can you do? Here is a small list of tasks that may help.

1. Create a daily log where you write at least ONE way you contributed to the success of the company. This is great for review time. It’s OK to repeat on several tasks since you can mention examples like “restored accidentally deleted files 60 times this year”.
2. Have a GREAT task list. This will work for this “what are you doing all day” questions? I recommend a ticket system like RT or some other type of sharable task list. My recommendation would be to read up on Thomas Limoncelli’s system in his book “Time Management for System Administrators“. It’s a must have for any tech trying to organize their to-do list.
3. Schedule a daily outage. What? Yes, schedule a daily ONE Hour outage. Why? It WILL HAPPEN, might as well schedule for it. If there isn’t an outage, make sure you have some task that will benefit the organization (e.g. study for certification).
4. Create a PANIC ROOM. This is the place where all employees know NOT TO bother you. For me, its normally been the 65 degree server room with its loud fans. Make sure to get a NICE, comfy chair in there and a computer you can use as a client. The PANIC ROOM is not just a place to run to in an outage but it can also serve as a small getaway when humans get antsy and annoying.
5. Grab a notebook during an outage. Start writing about the issue at hand. If it doesn’t help you flesh out a solution it will at least give you a moment to breathe and analyze the situation at hand. You are able to think clearly if you are more at peace. Taking these few moments may actually help you solve the issue faster.
6. Create a backup team. Who has your back? I once had a manager who was great at pushing users away from me. Since then I have always explained to my managers that I may need to call upon them to begin a buffer between me and the disgruntled users. Users respond better to upper management but if you only have a peer as a buffer, that may work as well. You would be surprised how grateful your peers will be if you volunteer to be a buffer for them. They are amazingly cooperative when you are deep in the hole.

These are just some of the tips that have worked for me. My goal is always to take a step back, breathe and attack the issues systematically. Having a plan helps a lot and I recommend you take a minute to hash one out that works for you. If you do so, everyone will think that you are a “go with the flow” kind of guy.

 Source:  http://edwincastillo.com/archives/270